VIJAYAWADA: The 77th Republic Day celebrations were held with grandeur at the Police Parade Grounds in Machilipatnam on Monday, where District Collector K Balaji unfurled the National Flag and took the guard of honour, underscoring the occasion with a message of inclusive growth and development.
The Collector recalled the sacrifices of freedom fighters and said India became a Republic on January 26, 1950, marking a historic milestone in the nation’s journey. He said the government is working with the vision of ‘Swarna Andhra 2047,’ aiming to build a poverty-free society through active participation of the government, private sector and the public.
Highlighting district-level initiatives, he said that under the P-4 programme, 78,866 poor families were identified as Bangaru Kutumbalu, of which 43,496 families have been adopted by 2,865 mentors. In the agriculture sector, assistance of Rs133.86 crore was extended to 1.33 lakh farmer families under Annadata Sukhibhava, while Rs 44.23 crore was released under PM-Kisan. To promote modern farming, 29 agricultural drones were provided to farmer groups with 80 per cent subsidy, amounting to `2.27 crore.
Under the fisheries welfare scheme, Rs26.15 crore was directly credited to the bank accounts of 13,077 fishermen as fishing ban compensation. The Fishing Harbour modernisation works under Sagarmala Phase-2, taken up at a cost of Rs 421.17 crore, have reached 80 per cent completion and are expected to be operational by March 2026, providing employment to about 3,300 fishermen.
The Collector said Rs 101.24 crore is being distributed every month to 2.34 lakh beneficiaries under NTR Bharosa pensions.